Conventional tattoo machines comprise a reciprocating needle that moves up and down, and in many cases, within a tubular or cylindrical structure that carries ink into the skin of an individual during the process of having a tattoo drawn on the individual's skin. The reciprocating needle typically punctures the skin at a high rate of frequency. Tattoo machine needles are installed in the machine and dipped in ink, which is sucked into the machine's tube system. Subsequently, the tattoo machine induces an up-and-down motion of the needle to puncture the top layer of the individual's skin and drive insoluble particles of ink into the dermal layer of skin.
Mechanically speaking, conventional tattoo machines comprise either a coil tattoo machine or a rotary tattoo machine. A coil tattoo machine employs an electromagnetic circuit to move the needle grouping up and down. Generally, a coil tattoo machine employs one or more DC coils and spring point(s) that induce the linear up and down motion of a bar that is coupled to the needle. Coil tattoo machines, however, are generally heavy and therefore difficult to maneuver during use. In addition, the electromagnetic switching of coil tattoo machines generates a significant amount of noise, which can turn off first-time customers who may already be hesitant about getting a tattoo.
Conventional rotary tattoo machines use an electric motor with a rotatable shaft having an offset cam at its apex, which offset cam is coupled perpendicularly with the needle to drive the needle in a reciprocating up and down motion. Rotary tattoo machines can offer several advantages to the coil machines in that a rotary tattoo machine is typically lighter in weight and substantially less noisy. Rotary tattoo machines, however, tend to exhibit problems with the longevity of the electric motor. Because the electric motor includes a rotatable shaft having an offset cam at its apex, the offset cam produces forces acting perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the rotatable shaft. Such forces substantially perpendicular to, and acting on, the rotatable shaft translate to axial forces inside the motor causing damage to the motor's internal components resulting in the premature malfunctioning of the motor. This results in costly and time-consuming repairs and replacements, as well as annoyance to the user.
In view of the shortcomings of conventional rotary tattoo machines, there exists a need to overcome the problems with the prior art as discussed above, and particularly for a more efficient rotary tattoo machine that reduces or eliminates premature malfunctioning of the electric motor caused by the axial load forces on the motor shaft.